Monthly Archives: January, 2012

Q. Does the reduced annuity under age 55 apply to Civil Service Retirement System law enforcement officers who opt to take the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority and Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments (VERA/VISP)? Or is the CSRS law enforcement category exempt from this reduction? A. Assuming that you aren’t talking about retiring as a CSRS law enforcement officer, the law enforcement category isn’t exempt. The 2 percent reduction for being under age 55 would apply. On the other hand, if you are talking about a CSRS law enforcement officer who retires under the special age and service criteria – age 50 with 20…

Q. I am 57 and a retired federal worker. I retired under the Civil Service Retirement System at the GS-13 level. I only worked a total of about three months before my federal service paying into Social Security, so I am not eligible for any Social Security benefits for myself. However, my husband, who is 60, has worked since he was 19, and has been paying into the Social Security system since then. My understanding is that I am not eligible to receive any of his Social Security benefits because my civil service pension is too high. My question: Is…

Q. I’m interested in getting this answer before I sign any reserve papers. I served in the Navy for 9 1/2 years. I now work for Homeland Security and want to buy back my time served; I’m also interested in finishing my Navy time as a reservist. Can I buy back my active-duty time, put it toward my federal job, and finish my 11 years as a Navy reservist — ending up with two retirements? A. Yes.

Q. I will be retiring this year (2012), with 30.3 years as a Civil Service Retirement System employee. The leave year ends on Jan. 12, 2013. If I waited until then to retire to maximize my leave cash-in value, my annuity wouldn’t start until February 2013, but if I retired on Dec. 31, 2012, my annuity would start in January 2013. However, I would not maximize my leave cash-in value. Is this correct? A. If you retired on Dec. 31, you would receive a lump-sum leave payment for all the annual leave you had accumulated up to that point. If…

Q. I’m a Civil Service Retirement System Offset employee with 18 years, 6½ months, under straight CSRS; 12 years, 7 months, at retirement (April 30, 2012); and with at least 40 quarters earned under Social Security before federal service. I had an appointment the other day at the Social Security Administration to see what my benefits, offset amount and windfall amounts would be. The person who I talked to had no idea about the CSRS Offset and kept calling the windfall elimination provision (WEP) an offset. She insisted she never had to consider/calculate the offset amount for the Office of…

Q. I have completed 20 years of firefighter service covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System. I recently was medically disqualified for service due to a permanent medical condition. I am 48 years old — not old enough for voluntary retirement. I have applied for disability retirement. Can I change my disability retirement to a regular firefighter retirement once I reach 50? If not, when I turn 62 and my retirement is recalculated, will I get the 1.7 multiplier for the 20 years of fire service? A. No, you can’t convert from disability retirement to regular retirement at age 50.…

Q. I have been receiving workers’ comp benefits since 1981. I have no Civil Service Retirement System benefits available, as I withdrew my contributions when I was separated from service. I am now 65 years old and have applied for Medicare. I have maintained my Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance through the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. There is now a dispute as to whether that insurance is primary or Medicare is primary. The question seems to revolve around the following question: Am I “retired” or am I still employed? Do you know the answer? A: Workers’ compensation is an income…

Q. I am a federal worker who has multiple sclerosis. I would be eligible for disability retirement, but my boss just informed me that I am eligible for a buyout from our agency, the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts. I’ve worked there for about 17 years. I am only 45 years old and am confused as to which is the most advantageous option. A. Because you have a disability that would make you eligible for disability retirement, you aren’t eligible for a buyout. Your only option is to apply for disability retirement.

Q. I am not married, and will retire under the Federal Employees Retirement System. After I retire, if I then get married, can I then elect survivor annuity? If so, what is required to make the election? A. Yes, you can, as long as you do that within two years after the date of your marriage. To pay for the survivor annuity, there will be two reductions in your annuity. The first will be the standard reduction to provide for the survivor benefit. The second will be an actuarial reduction to pay the survivor benefit deposit. That deposit equals the…

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